April 2017 Issue

Joe Baratta made his name on Blackstone’s crisis-era investment in Merlin Entertainments Group. As another slowdown looms, we find out where the firm is putting its private equity dollars.

In a Fundraising Special, PEI examines whether too much money is chasing too few deals.

Fundraising has been strong for a number of years, but the headline figures mask a different picture for those on the ground trying to attract capital.

Fundraising is getting ever faster, so PEI considers which industry fundamentals are driving the change by examining Permira’s latest vehicle.

The placement agent business has been expanding into new areas to diversify its revenue base and better cater to its customers.

Even in the most buoyant fundraising environment, raising capital for the first time is a tricky proposition. Three experts share their top tips for a successful debut.

Two veteran fundraisers discuss the return of high-net-worth capital, the rise of fund restructurings and a question that has been asked since the mid-90s: is too much money chasing too few deals?

The Modi government is making progress on its reform agenda, reshaping the business landscape for private equity.

Baring Private Equity Asia’s Jimmy Mahtani explains how the GP, which manages more than $10bn in commitments, is positioned to capitalise on opportunities in the country.  

SoftBank is in the process of raising what could be the largest private equity fund ever. Industry insiders are impressed but apprehensive.

Riverside’s chief executives on how private equity measures up against predictions we made at the turn of the decade.

As LPs in the world’s largest private fund market start to embrace ESG, it’s getting tougher to get away with being ‘all talk and no action’.

Former US Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Jo White believes the progress made in overseeing the private equity industry is unlikely to be reversed.

Funds raised during the economic slowdown are starting to outperform their peers. Christian Diller and Marco Wulff, founders of Montana Capital Partners, look at why.

The private equity industry of today has been shaped by lessons from the financial crisis.

Through an aggressive programme of operational improvements and M&A, Epiris transformed the stagnating caravan parks operator into a UK market leader.

Donald Trump’s cabinet has been full of surprise picks, but secondaries market participants could not have expected they would spur dealflow.

Non-doms must brace themselves for a new UK tax regime, while decisions on the Fiduciary Rule and EU leverage ratios are in the balance.

Deal value in the secondaries market dropped slightly last year, but billion-dollar transactions in the pipeline should ensure a better 2017

The Asia fund of funds pioneer has turned his entrepreneurial energy towards a speciality coffee business in The Philippines.

We're counting the hours until the introduction of MiFID.

A fire drill cuts off a senior exec at the crucial point.

Oh, for the life of a private equity expat in Dubai.

Negotiating a Limited Partnership Agreement can be fraught, particularly when it comes to the issue of where litigation should be heard.

As PEI prepares to launch its 2017 ranking of the 30 most influential private equity lawyers under the age of 40, we ask some of those named on the previous list about what it takes to succeed in the legal profession.

Changes to the distribution waterfall, more flexibility on investment terms and greater clarity around each condition has increased the weight of the LPA.

We want nominations for the top 30 private equity lawyers under the age of 40.

More and more cases are being brought against private equity firms relating to their portfolio company holdings.

The US is on the brink of fundamental tax change, but the details remain sparse.

Attempts to prevent ‘big fish’ benefiting from tax avoidance schemes look like  trapping private funds, too. We look at the concerns over BEPS.

German pension funds face new restrictions on their private equity investments under moves to enact AIFMD, writes Andreas Rodin, a founding partner at P+P Pöllath + Partners.

Offering counsel in the Cayman Islands provides a ringside seat on the trend towards longer-term funds and how the secondaries market is developing, write Rolf Lindsay and Andrew Barker from Walkers.

Integrating permanent capital into a private equity structure and investment plan takes strategy, planning and forethought, write Pepper Hamilton partners Julia Corelli and Stephanie Pindyck-Costantino.

Japanese private equity, notorious for a dearth of dealflow, disappointing performance and legacy issues, is sensing a brighter future.

Some of Japan’s longest-standing private equity investors describe how demographics are driving dealflow.

Dealmaking is never easy in Japan, but many non-Japanese GPs find an international angle can be an advantage.

Fresh capital from Japanese corporate pensions and regional banks into private equity funds should excite GPs, but caution is needed on how much managers should take.

Growing LP interest is buoying the private equity market, as the big pension funds warm to alternatives.

Carlyle Japan’s buyout team led the charge on improving the technology company’s efficiency and boosting international growth.

The Development Bank of Japan, one of Japan’s biggest investors in private equity, favours mid-cap strategies.

With 2017 set to be a strong year for fundraising in Japan, how do the winning GPs stand out from the crowd? Ryosuke Iinuma, Ant Capital Partner’s Tokyo-based managing partner and John H. M. Cheuck, managing partner at Hong Kong-based Ant Global Partners, explain how the firm’s strategy differentiates itself from its peers.

Japan’s ageing society is a potential source of investment opportunities for mid-market firms, say J-STAR’s Yuki Kashiyama and Kazumasa Ohara